Reel for rolling mill



1957 J. M. O'MALLEY 2,78 79 REEL FOR ROLLING MILL Filed Oct. 5, 1953INVENTORL Joseph M. O'MaUey United States Patent '6 REEL FOR ROLLINGIVHLL Joseph M. OMalley, Worcester, Mass, assignor to MorganConstruction Company, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of MassachusettsApplication October 5, 1953, Serial No. 384,198

3 Claims. (Cl. 242-81) This invention relates to a reel and moreparticularly to an apparatus for coiling the product of a rolling mill.

In the process of forming thin rolling mill product, such as rod, it isthe usual practice to form it into coils in a reel. These reels are oftwo types: the pouring reel, wherein the rod enters a cylindrical cagefrom a fixed nozzle and the cage rotates about a vertical axis and thelaying reel, wherein the cage remains fixed and the nozzle moves in acircle about the axis of the cage. In both cases, but particularly inthe case of the pouring reel, the effects of centrifugal force preventeflicient operation at very high speeds. As the speed of production ofrod from rolling mills increases, as it has in the last few years, thisforce becomes more and more troublesome, since centrifugal forceincreases as the square of the velocity. The most predominant effect ofthis force in a pouring reel is that the rod sticks to the pins makingup the cage at the point at which the rod enters the reel instead ofsliding downwardly to rest on the top of the portion of the coil alreadyformed. This is because the centrifugal force presses the rod againstthe pins with such force that the friction forces resisting downwardmovement of the rod are greater than the force of gravity tending tomove the rod downwardly. This tendency limits the speeds at which rodmay be reeled at the present time. The present invention obviates someof the dificulties encountered in prior art constructions because ofthese efiects.

It is therefore an outstanding object of the present invention toprovide a reel which will enable thin products of a rolling mill to beformed into a coil at a considerably faster rate than has been possiblepreviously.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a pouring reel inwhich the friction forces tending to pre- 7 vent the rod from movingdownward are minimized.

Another object of the present invention is the provi' sion of a pouringreel in which centrifugal forces are used to overcome frictional forcesthat might otherwise prevent downward movement of the rod. 7

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention,then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims the following description and theannexed drawing setting forth in detail a certain illustrativeembodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but oneof the various ways in which the principles of the invention may beemployed.

In the said annexed drawing, Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of areel constructed after the teachings of the invention, and

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 1.

In general, the invention consists in constructing a pouring reel insuch a manner that the pins are inclined inwardly and upwardly while rodis being admitted, but which move into a vertical position when the rodcoil is being removed.

Referring to the drawing, the reel, designated generally by thereference numeral 10, comprises a horizontal coil plate 11 through whichpass a circular row of inner pins 12 and a circular row of outer pins13. The pins are fastened to a driving plate 14 which underlies the coilplate and serves to support and drive it. A housing 15 surrounds all ofthese elements. The driving plate 14 is mounted on and concentric with ahub member 16 which has a tubular portion 17 which extends downwardlyand a skirt portion 18 which extends downwardly and outwardly. The loweredge of the skirt has a bevel pinion gear 19 fastened thereto. Thepinion gear engages another bevel gear 20 keyed to a horizontal driveshaft 21. This shaft is, in turn, connected to a source of power, notshown, but by which the reel is driven. A housing 22 surrounds the gearsand serves to support the elements of the reel. The hub member 16 issupported on the housing 22, there being a combined thrust and radialbearing 23 therebetween. Through the tubular portion 17 of the hubmember extends a shaft 24 which is fastened at its upper end to the coilplate and at its lower end to an actuating mechanism, not shown, whichon occasion causes the shaft to move upwardly, carrying the coil platewith it.

The inner pins 12 taper to a reduced diameter at the upper portion. Atthe lower end, each is provided with a threaded portion 25 which extendsthrough the drive plate and on which is threaded a nut 26. An integralcircular flange or shoulder 27 extends outwardly from the pin above thethreaded portion and is eccentric therewith; this shoulder resides in acircular aperture 28 provided on the coil plate during reeling. Drivepins 29 extend upwardly from the drive plate and pass through suitableapertures 30 in the coil plate. Fastener pins 31 pass through the hubmember and the drive plate to hold them together, the pins passingaxially upwardly through each of the drive pins 29 and having a nut 32at the upper end thereof.

Each of the outer pins 13 is provided at its lower end with a flatportion 33 which lies between two lugs 34 projecting downwardly from theunderside of the driving plate 14 and is hingedly connected thereto by apivot pin 35. The pivot pins are arranged substantially horizontally andtangentially to an imaginary circle whose center is coincident with theaxis of the reel. Immediately above and integral with the fiat portion33 of each 7 outer pin 13 is a flange or flat disk portion 36 whose axistion is inclined at a small angle to the axes of the hub and diskportion, this inclination being in the directionv of the said axes andof the main axis of the reel. This angle will, of course, be determinedby such factors as the speed of reeling, the size and weight of thematerial, etc.

The operation of the apparatus of the invention will now be evident inview of the above description. Power is introduced through the shaft 21,thus driving the bevel gear 20 which is keyed thereto. The gear 20engages the pinion gear 19 so that the hub member 16, to which it isfastened, is also driven. This, in turn, drives the driving plate 14because of the presence of the fastener pins 31 which extend through thedriving plate and the hub member. The rotation of the driving platecarries with it the inner pins 12, because they are fastened tightlythereto; it carries with it the outer pins 13 because of the connectionthrough the lugs 34 and the pins 35.

' with the 'surfiace of its respective aperture38 in the coil plate. Theshaft 24 is in the lower, retracted position shown in solidlines in thedrawing and, so the coil plate 11 is drawn into engagement with theupper surface of thedriving plate 14. Because of the relationship of theparts, however, actual engagement takes place-only between these twomembers and the disk portion'li fi of the outer pins; that is to say,the disk portion is clamped be'tween th'e driving plate and thecoi-l'p'late under the combined actions of the shaft 24, the weight'ofthe coil plate, and the; weight of any rod which may be resting on'thecoil plate." This clamping of the disk portion constrains it to agenerally'horizontal position, so'that the-shaft portion 3'9 of each ofthe outer pinsleans inwardlytoward the center of the reel. The rod isintroduced into the space between the inner and outer pins 1 froma fixednozzle, not shown. As the rod accumulates in' this space, "it is thrownoutwardly. against the outer pins by centrifugal force; inthe past, ashas been exsituated in their inwardly inclined positions during th e'formation o'f'the coil, but are free to move into'vertical positions forthc'removal of the coil from the reel.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed,change being made as regards the details described, provided thefeatures stated in the following claims, or the equivalent of such, beemployed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A pouring'reel :for use in coiling the product-of l rolling millcomprising a first series of pins arrang a circle, a second series ofpins arranged in 'a circle which is concentric with the first circleand'whose diameter is each other about an axis passing through thecenter of the pin circles, the pins in the second circle being hingedlyplained, a speed of reeling is eventually reached under a'g'ivenset of.conditions at which'the f iction 'forces'resisting downward movement ofthe rod are greater'than the iforces of gravity tending to force therod'down. When this condition is reached, it is impossible to coil theincoming rod. In the present apparatus, however, the centriiugal forcesbreak down into 'two components: one component normal tothe pin surfacewhich tends to createfriction forces and to resist downward movement ofthe rod'and another component parallel to the pin surface which aids theforce of gravity in forcing the rod downwardly. If the speed of the reelis greatly increased, a point will be reached, even with the apparatusof the invention, wherein the friction forces become too great {tobeovercome by gravity. However, the present invention permits reelingspeeds which are greatly in excess of those possible with prior artdevices;

When sufiicient rod has accumulated in the space between-the inner andthe outer pins,.the reel is stopped and the shaft 24 is'moved into theupper position shown in broken lines and indicated by the referencenumeral 24'. This carries the 'coil plate and the coil into the positionindicated by the reference numeral'll'. The upwardimovenient of the coilplate 11 releases the disk portions 36 or the 'outer pins 13, so thatthe outer pins are nee; torotate about the pivot pins to the extentpermitted by'the aperturesfi The coil of rod which was: previouslyfrjned is slightly conical, with the larger end a'tfl1e' beam, becauseof the inward inclination "of the .outer'pins. The large end of the coil'nowcng'agejs' upper portions of the outer pins, thus camming the pins,

vented from further movement by engagement with the surfaces ofthe'apertures 33. In this position, the outer pins are substantiallyvertical, as is indicated "by 'the reference numeral 13'. The pins are,therefore, rigidly outwardly. The pins, thus, move outwardly "until'pre- '60 position.

3. A pouring reel for use in coiling the product of a mounted on pivotalaxes which are tangential to a ci xle concentric with the said axisforrnovement between positions inclined to the axis and positionsparallel to the axis,

2. pouring reel for use in coiling the product off a rolling millcomprisinga firstseries of pins arranged in .a circle, a second seriesof pins arranged in a circle which is concentric with the first circleand whose diameter is substantially larger than the first, a coil platethrough which the pins project, the two series of pins and the coilplate defining an annular space within which the coil is formed, meansfor rotating the product and thepins relative to each other about anaxis passing through the center of the pin circles, the coil plate beingcapable of move ment along the axis for removal of the coil, the pins inthe-second circle being pivotally mounted for movement from positionsinclined to the axis to positions, parallel to the axis when the coilplate is in the coil removal rolling mill comprising a driving member, acoil plate overlying the driving member and capable of movement towardand away from the member, a first series, of pins extending through theplate and arranged in, a circle, a second series of pins extendingthrough theplate and arranged in a circle which is concentric with thefirst circle having a diameter which is substantially larger, than thefirst the two series of pins and the .plate defining :an annularspacewithin which the coil is to be formed, means for rotating the productand the pins relative to ea'ch' other about-an axis passing through thecenter offthe pin circles, the pins in the second circle beinghingcdlycon nected to the driving member and each "having a flange whichis clamped between the said member and the plate clamped, but being,capable of movement to positions parallel to the said axis whenthe coilplate movesaway from the plate. a

I References Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSHewitt et a1 Dec. 4, .litiiil Dahlstrom June 10, .1930

